A fantasy, and an indulgence

Nikon 17-55mm, F2.8

This lens, right here, is my new guilty fantasy. But at $900 a pop (second hand! $1400 for new), I fear it remains just that - a fantasy.

Danny showed it to us at his home the other day, and we were just floored by it's speed. Finally, something as fast as a prime lens but with a zoom to boot. It's like a dream come true. 

One day, this will be ours.

Separately, but much more achievable, is my new guilty indulgence. Boardwalk Empire.

I don't know where I've been these past couple years, as the rest of the world has been raving about this show. Probably caught up in the likes of Breaking Bad and Homeland, which is hardly anything to complain about. But this is what a bit of extra time on your hands during the holidays can do to you. Hour after hour after hour, it transports me into the magical world of the twenties. Gowns, extravaganzas, gangs and all.

A holiday photo project

Last week, in the run-up to the holidays, I decided to take a wander around the city with the ol' camera to capture some of the holiday spirit that seems to be spilling around every corner. And, as always, the city didn't disappoint.

Thank you, NYC, for always being such a wonderful place in the holidays.

 The tree at Bryant Park

 An elusive Empire State Building, glowing through the fog

 All over the city, holiday markets!

 Rounded the corner and suddenly there it was before me, my favouritest building in the whole city!

Wandered round to the grand New York Public library 

 A street kebab guy, winding down after a long day's work

The practically undiscovered tree in the little plaza behind Bloomingdales. Why deal with the crowds of the Rockefeller Centre when you can have a tree all unto yourself.

A dangerous accessory

I'd been thinking to myself that what with the upcoming holidays and all, we should probably invest in a new speedlight for our camera. One never knows when one will want to whip the thing out to take some pics - and in today's world of HD, if you're in a pic, you want it to be with flattering lighting. Ask the movie stars, they'll tell ya.

So on the way home from work the other day, I found my legs wandering me into a camera store. Now, the people who work in the camera stores in New York are a creature unto their own. They are so passionate about photography, that any perversions or dilutions of the sport are considered outright offensive, and worthy of only derisive responses. Passion like that is to be both respected and feared. Especially feared.

There was a guy in front of me, speaking to the sales agent, so I waited patiently behind him.
"I'm looking for the kind of camera that's a point and shoot, but also takes HD video and is tiny and light."
Sounds reasonable, right? Too gimmicky for the sales guy, apparently.
"Kid, you shouldn't be in a serious photography store like this. For that kind of sh*t, you need to go to Circuit City or Best Buy. Don't waste my time."
"But... but...."stammered the poor fella, taken aback.
"When you're ready to take some serious pictures, and you aren't focused on video and being tiny and light, come back to me."
And that was that.

So you can imagine the trepidation which siezed me when it was my turn to go up. Coweringly, with much hesitation, I approached the counter.
"Excuse me, sir, I'm looking for a new Nikon speedlight. I was thinking the SB-600..." I let my voice trail off.
I flinched (inwardly) and cringed (outwardly), waiting for his response in the deafening silence that followed.
But he surprised me (again).
"That's a great speedlight! You'll love it," he said, taking it off the shelf and handing it over to me. "Works best with the Nikon D-90, you should think about it if you don't have one already."
And he gave me a radiant smile.

I was so relieved I almost peed myself right there and then.

Somehow, I had made it through the camera store sans major mishap. And now, just in time for Turkey Dinner, we have a brand new speedlight to make all our subjects look like movie stars.

Central Park in the Spring

Mutual Reassurance Committee

Delta and I have signed up for a 'fundamentals' course in photography at the New York Institute of Photography. We're really excited about it, and photography has become our raison-d'etre in the past month or so. Sometimes we recede into the inner depths of our dorkiness, and just sit on the couch discussing styles and lenses for hours. I shudder to think of what we might do once the course starts and we actually know what we're talking about.

Well, Delta has reason to do this, for he truly has a natural eye for capturing that pulse-quickening picture. I, on the other hand, am banking on this course to arouse in me the wells of untapped artistic potential which I'm convinced exist in the nether regions of my mind.

As we progress through the course (and assumingly improve), I might use this blog to publish a picture of two which we deem worthy of our collective self-admiration. When you see a picture which might resemble such, dear reader, that would be your cue to leave a compliment on the blog.

This way you assure me of my artistic abilities, I assure you of your discerning tastes in art, and there we are, the Mutual Reassurance Committee.